WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1982
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BIG GROWTH IN TERTIARY EDUCATION PLANNED
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PROPOSALS FOR GROWTH IN TERTIARY EDUCATION WILL RAISE THE NUMBER OF FIRST-YEAR DEGREE PLACES TO COVER SIX PER CENT OF THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP BY THE END OF THIS DECADE AND EIGHT PER CENT BY THE MID-1990'S, AGAINST ABOUT TWO PER CENT TODAY, THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
SIR EDWARD SAID THE PRESENT ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF FOUR PER CENT IN THE STUDENT POPULATION IN THE TWO UNIVERSITIES WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL 1988, BUT SPECIFIC REQUESTS BY THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE MET OVER AND ABOVE THIS FIGURE.
+THUS, THE TARGETS FOR THE 1985-88 TRIENNIUM ARE 8 000 FOR HONG KONG UNIVERSITY, AND 7 000 FOR THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.
+DEGREE PROGRAMMES ARE PLANNED FOR THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC, WHICH WILL BE EXPANDED, ON ITS PRESENT SITE, TO ITS FULL CAPACITY OF 13 500 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STUDENTS.
+ IN ADDITION, IT IS ENVISAGED THAT THE SECOND POLYTECHNIC FROM ITS INCEPTION, WILL RECRUIT A PROPORTION OF ITS STUDENTS ONTO DEGREE COURSES, SIR EDWARD SAID.
+
EVENTUALLY, THE TWO POLYTECHNICS COULD HAVE 27 000 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT PLACES, UP TO 30 PER CENT BEING FOR DEGREE COURSES.
UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE UPGC, THE BAPTIST COLLEGE WOULD IN DUE COURSE OFFER A MIX OF DEGREE AND NON-DEGREE COURSES, HE SAID.
THE FURTHER GROWTH POTENTIAL OF THE TWO UNIVERSITIES AND THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A THIRD UNIVERSITY OR ANOTHER MAJOR TERTIARY INSTITUTION WAS ALSO BEING STUDIED.
AND THE UPGC, HE SAID, WOULD ALSO BE ASKED TO CONSIDER THE ROLE WHICH A PROPERLY CONSTITUTED OPEN UNIVERSITY MIGHT PLAY
IN HONG KONG.
SIR EDWARD ALSO NOTED THAT MUCH HAD BEEN ACHIEVED OVER THE LAST DECADE IN PROVIDING MORE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION, AND IN RAISING THE STANDARD OF TEACHING,
IMPROVEMENTS HAD BEEN MADE IN STAFFING RATIOS TO PERMIT MORE REMEDIAL TEACHING AND THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF A WIDER RANGE OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND THE CURRICULUM HAD BEEN BROADENED, WITH NEW SUBJECTS AND MORE EMPHASIS ON PRACTICAL AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS, HE ADDED.
SIR EDWARD SAID THAT THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL ESTABLISHED EARLY THIS YEAR WAS PLANNING TO DOUBLE THE CAPACITY OF THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES BEFORE THE END OF THE DECADE BY EXTENDING EXISTING TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AND BUILDING NEW ONES.
+ IN ADDITION, TWO NEW INDUSTRIAL TRAINING COMPLEXES ARE PLANNED FOR COMPLETION IN 1985. THESE WILL HAVE AN ANNUAL CAPACITY OF NEARLY 9 000 TRAINEES AT CRAFT AND OPERATIVE LEVEL,+ HE SAID.
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